Darulfatwa - Islamic High Council of Australia was established in 2004 by the Association of Islamic Charitable Projects, Australia as an "independent and moderate, symbol of hope for Australian Muslims". It is supportive of Sufism.
Darulfatwa (also known as Darul-Fatwa or House of Fatwa) provides Fatwas and is associated with a number of Australian Islamic organisations and Muslim schools. Darulfatwa says it, "does not endorse any form of extremist ideology and it opposes any potential spreading of such ideology . . [and] . . that all acts of evil carried out in the name of Islam should be condemned and countered by all available means".
In 2005 The Prime Minister, John Howard commended the Darulfatwa Islamic High Council of Australia for organising an anti-terrorism forum, "Sunnis against Extremism", which was attended by 200 members of the Islamic community. It has also been congratulated within the New South Wales Legislative Assembly for its role as the leading representative for Muslims in Australia.
Darul-Fatwa (High Islamic Council of Australia) is a high Islamic authority in Australia. It has been founded to meet the growing needs of the Australian Muslim community.
With the reliance upon Allah, a group of dedicated and devout members of the community drew upon the expertise and advice of community leaders to bring to the Australian community this long-awaited establishment.
Darul-Fatwa aims to bring the Australian Muslims together in order to positively develop and enhance the role of every Muslim community member.
We invite you to share in the vision for a better future for all, and to work together to reflect the true message of Islam. This project promises the children of our community sound guidance and immunity against extremism and fanaticism; the absence of which can help in securing a safer Australia and a higher level of acceptance for Muslims in the wider Australian community.
The Establishment of Darul-Fatwa
After long and profound deliberations, a group of highly skilled and qualified community leaders embarked upon establishing this Australian institution. A final frontier to bridge the gap between the needs of Muslims and their productive co-existence in the wider Australian community.
Darul-Fatwa is the symbol of hope Australian Muslims have been waiting for. It is a safety-net that re-assures the individual and the nation, lobbying for the right of all Muslims to a better standard of living without prejudice and discrimination and defending the civil liberties and privileges of those at risk.
Darul-Fatwa will work to raise the level of Islamic awareness in the community, protecting community members from the ramifications of mischief and transgression. The concept was duly needed in the absence of a comprehensive representation for every Muslim citizen in Australia and in the absence of an accessible forum via which the members of the Australian Muslim community can voice their angst and concerns.
Darul-Fatwa has been founded to shoulder this responsibility and to appropriately represent the community in its entirety. It is a task that can only be met through Darul-Fatwa; the council that holds the highest Islamic authority in Australia, which acts as the chief and leading representative for Muslims amongst the various communities and associations, and amongst governmental departments and media bodies.
It can be significantly noted that the policies and guidelines of Darul-Fatwa have all been derived from the Qur'an, the sayings of Prophet Muhammad may Allah raise his rank and the teachings of Islam according to true undisputed scholars.
In addition, Darul-Fatwa is a non-partisan and independent institution which would not be made a tool to serve the interests of any political or foreign body, nor would Darul-Fatwa accept and receive any funds for this purpose or be utilised as a means for delivering any kind of service which does not benefit the Australian community.
Darul-Fatwa does not endorse any form of extremist ideology and it opposes any potential spreading of such ideology within its constituency. Darul-Fatwa makes the point that all acts of evil carried out in the name of Islam should be condemned and countered by all available means.